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Fortified food staves off spina bifida

30 June 2001

By Andy Coghlan

CASES of spina bifida in the US have dipped dramatically thanks to the
compulsory addition of folic acid to products such as breakfast cereals and
wholemeal bread.

“The observed decline means about 800 more healthy babies are being born in
the US each year,” says Margaret Honein, an epidemiologist at the US Centers for
Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, who led the team which made the
discovery.

The result confirms earlier, smaller studies that found folic acid prevents
congenital defects like spina bifida that leave parts of the spinal cord
exposed. It also increases pressure for regulatory …